Should I get induced due to big baby?

[Puppyblueshelp]

Looking to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation! I’m 39+6 weeks pregnant, due date is tomorrow. My last scan a week ago showed baby was big, around 8lb5oz.

I’ve had two unsuccessful sweeps so far, cervix was too far back to reach on both. I would love to go into labour spontaneously but also worried about her growing bigger and bigger every day that passes.

Should I get induced and if so, when?

That's not a big baby at term. And it's very hard to accurately measure big babies (more accurate for ones measuring small). Personally I wouldn't get induced assuming everything else is good with your pregnancy.

Ahh thank you, I’m getting mixed messages on whether this is big or not so this is reassuring!

Out of interest, how long would you wait before induction? I’d be very nervous to get up to 42 weeks for example.

I'd say it would depend on your other risk factors and age. For me I'd be happy at 41 weeks (well, by happy I mean seriously pissed off I was still pregnant 😂) but I'd want to be induced before 42 weeks as I also wouldn't want to go over that. One of mine was predicted at over 11lbs by 40 weeks and arrived at 39+4 weighing 7lbs13!

My wee one was measuring ahead by 2 weeks throughout my pregnancy. I was 9 days overdue with her and she ended up being 6lb 7oz (a teeny toot!)

I would be wary of measurements too. I was told my first was measuring small for dates, completely panicked that I was going to have a tiny 5lb baby, he was born a week early at 7lb 13.

I was told I would have a 6-7 pound baby and had an 8 pounds 12 oz baby at 41+2 days. I’m sure it’s guesswork.

That’s not too big tbh, mine were 8lb2oz and 8lb7oz and they were never described as big (big enough from my point of view tbh!)
I’d just see how things go and hope you go into labour spontaneously in the next week or so, more chance of a straightforward delivery that way

It’s all an educated guess. I was told my first was going to be average size - she was very nearly 10lbs! So I think take the estimates with a pinch of salt. And good luck!

I wouldn’t consider induction until closer to 42 weeks (if you get there), as someone who had an induction, and I’d also take the growth measurements with a pinch of salt. 8lb 5oz isn’t a big baby, but even if it were, my final scan for my daughter said she was 9lb 8oz, predicted to be “huge”- she was born 7lb 14oz!

You need to have 3 growth scans, each 2 weeks apart to predict the baby’s size.

I had this decision on both my pregnancies, and ended up having big (giant really) babies both times. First one was induced (9&1/2lbs), second one I declined this (10&1/2lbs).

Birth stories tend to be extreme either way, so I would avoid asking people for those & just focus on the factors that would influence your decision. You can ask as many questions of your care team as you want before your birth. 😊

When the sonographer estimates the baby is big what measurements were causing this? The weight estimation is based on head x abdominal circumference x femur length. A long baby is different than a chunky one.

Did they double check the measurements? I've had different readings from the same scan before, and now always get them double checked.

What gestation were you when baby was flagged as big? My hospital does growth scans at 32 weeks, because it's hard to accurately tell after that - babies get squished and harder to take measurements from.

What is your Bishop score? This is an indicator how successful induction would be - if your cervix is unfavorable for a sweep it may not be favorable for induction either.

What is your hospital's emergency C-section rate after inductions? They should be able to estimate this for you roughly even if they don't record officially.

Are there any other elements of your birth plan that would impact your induction being successful? E.g. induction + early epidural can sometimes equal distressed baby.

Are there any other medical indicators for induction? E.g. High risk pregnancy

What are your hospital's policies around induction? Can your partner stay overnight? Are inductions started on a ward? What level of monitoring takes place - how often are you hooked up to a CTG machine? What are their preferred induction methods, and what are the risks?

What position is your baby in? OP or OA? Makes a big difference to labour progression, pain & delivery.

How often are they willing to offer trying sweeps as a potential alternative?

What gestation would you be comfortable waiting for labour until?

Best of luck with it all. 💙💕

Thank you for your detailed response!

She’s measured quite large on the last 3 scans within the last month ish, so I do think there must be some truth in it although obviously exact size is TBC. It’s more her abdominal circumference that measured big.

Not sure what my Bishop score is! But yes I wondered that too, maybe induction isn’t the best option right now if the sweeps haven’t worked.

In terms of my risk factors, I am 32 years old. I do have a high BMI (35) and excessive weight gain during pregnancy - though tested negative for gestational diabetes. I also have rheumatoid arthritis. Not sure if this means an induction would be a better or worse option for me though!

They have said the induction methods they use are the rods vs the pessary.

In terms of baby’s position, I’m not sure right now - she was OP at the beginning of the last scan but did rotate during it. I’ve been doing the exercises and positioning to try and prevent OP.

They've said you can have 3 sweeps although the midwife I spoke to today wasn’t sure if a failed sweep counted towards your 3 attempts or not.

Coming from someone who had a 9lb 6oz baby and then a 10lb 7oz baby. Neither full term. Don't get induced unless medically necessary, your body will do its thing. Keep getting regular sweeps, drink raspberry tea, bounce on your ball and loads of lovely walks x your baby is a good size but not big x

My DS was big and had a big head. Pushing the head out is obviously the worst bit and your baby’s won’t get any bigger now.

I went out in for induction at 41+5. I was told that at 41+6 you become a priority for induction.

That’s a good point about the head (hers is normal size) and reassuring - thank you!

I think they may as well make it up. They had my due date out by nearly 3 weeks with 2 pregnancies, I knew when I’d conceived as my partner works away and wasn’t home anywhere near when they were saying, good job he trusts me! Also my sister was due to be induced due to an apparently massive baby, she went into labour a few days before and he was 5lb 6??

Definitely lots to think about! I had a higher BMI too, and gave birth just fine BTW. 30 BMI at my booking appt, and gained a ton of weight during pregnancy so I was definitely higher giving birth. Dr. Sara Wickams has some good resources on it if this is any concern to you. 😊

If you decide to wait for spontaneous labour, or to be induced, either way you have options you can explore. If you do opt for induction, it's really helpful to plan out pain relief options / distractions in advance. Being at home is a really big comfort during labour, and while being in hospital has it's pros, it's also harder to distract yourself from the pain. If you do go for an induction, maybe ask about hospital coping methods. (I naively thought my DH & I would be doing crossword puzzles in the wait. The book was thrown across the room and never seen again.) I would also ask about what to expect from an induction or labour with an OP baby if your little one is still in that position at the finish line!

My mantra during labour was "I grew this baby, I can birth this baby" ... And "I can be brave and scared at the same time". 😂

Ultrasound measurements are very subjective, so baby’s size/weight is an educated guess, not an exact figure.

An 8lb baby is only ‘big’ if you are tiny, context is everything.

I was induced with my first born at 41.5 weeks. He was 10.4 lb and had a big head. My doctor kept telling me he is of an average size the whole time until I was 40 weeks pregnant, then he said, "baby is big we have to induce". I was so mad, not sure why he kept lying to me. I will not lie to you, it was not easy pushing out that baby. I was very skinny at the time and he was my first, and the doctor insisted I did not need a c section, so I had him naturally.

Op what did you decide in the end? DD was 11 days over & 8lb9 & no one thought she was an abnormally big baby. Big yes, anything to write home about, no. Never said she looked big on scans or anything!

At 39 weeks, they invited me for a growth scan as they were concerned my bump was measuring small. I left the growth scan under the impression that by 41weeks my baby would be over 9lbs!

Baby was born on 41 weeks exactly and weighed 7lb. The growth scans have no idea.

That being said, I was induced as it was medically necessary and honestly it was fine. Not what I had been expecting in many ways, but it was over nice and quick!

My niece had her first DC weighing 10lb 7 Oz about 3 days overdue. Her second DC was 11lb 2 Oz a day early and her third DC was induced a week late and was born 11 lb 4 Oz. Unless your baby is likely to be over 10lb I would let it come naturally as generally slower so you acclimatize to pain. If induced the pain ramps up very quickly so harder to deal with.

DD1 was 8lbs and DD2 was 9lbs 2oz. There was no difference in the length of labour and no more difficulty with DD2. Both born at just over 41 weeks, after a sweep.

Is it your first? Mine were 9.6 (first) & 11.4 second. Both natural births. I’m a size 10. Read Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth. It will give you confidence around the birth.

Hii OP. Wishing you lots of luck with the birth.

I was told that my DC was going to be a very big baby and that it was best to be induced. After an appointment at 38 weeks they said I would have to 100%.

It didn't go well for me at all and I wish I resisted, baby and I both ended up with a bad infection from the induction process and baby ended up in extreme distress which meant emergency c section 2 days after the initial poorly done induction. And a lengthy stay in hospital. The baby wasn't even big after all, weighed 7 pounds.

If you really think you need it then of course do it but if not then let your body do what it will do so well and bring your baby into the world.

I hope everything goes smoothly either way.
💐